Wolfe’s Woofer: Surprise Phone Call

Sunday, January 25th, 2015

“Hello, Dennis speaking,” I said, when the phone rang. “Hey, Dennis. This is Jim. Do you want to watch the last two games of the basketball tournament with me today?” “Sure.” I said. “Do you want to come watch it at my house?” “No. Meet me at mine. I bought a brand new giant screen TV this morning and I’m dying to try it out. Be here by two o’clock, though, because the game starts at three.” “Sure,” I said “The only thing I have to do today is go pay my telephone bill.” “Carmen had to go to the phone company today, too. If you see her can you her give her a ride home?” While I was at the phone company Jim’s wife, Carmen, came in. “I’m paying my bill early this month,” I told her. “A couple of months ago I forgot and my phone was cut off.” “I’m here to get the number changed for my phone,” she told me. “It’s one digit different than the bank and I answer about fifty wrong numbers a day.” On the way back to her house she said, “I’m going to pull a joke on Jim when I get home. He doesn’t know I changed the phone number so I’ll call and not tell him that it’s me. I want to see how long it takes him to recognize my voice.” At their house Jim and I got comfortable on the couch while Carmen went into the kitchen to get some chips and beer. I could see her in the kitchen and when she saw me looking she winked and got her phone from her purse. She dialed and Jim’s phone rang. “Hello,” he said. It got quiet for a moment as he listened. Then he softly asked, “Hey, can you call me back later? My wife’s in the other room right now.”